Japan’s Ministry of Environment (MOE) is initiating a new program to encourage domestic low-carbon emission micro-grid development by funding independent demonstration projects that will incorporate renewable energy production, energy storage systems, incorporation of electric vehicles for mobility and storage, and energy efficiency optimization. The goal is to eventually facilitate the development of disaster-resistant community micro-grids that can supply their own power in the event of an emergency loss of electricity from the power grid, like Northeastern Japan experienced after the March 2011 earthquake.

The MOE has issued a formal Request for Proposals (RFP). Please see the link below for details:

The MOE has a budget of approximately USD $7.0 million per year for a maximum of three years to subsidize the development of these demonstration projects (funding up to 75% of the total project costs). We anticipate that MOE will fund 2 or 3 projects in this program. Proposals will need to include an agreement from a municipality/development/facility/business grouping to host the proposed micro-grid project. A goal of the initiative is to incorporate U.S. technologies, based on U.S.-Japan government-to-government energy cooperation initiatives, and draw upon U.S. Department of Energy expertise in creating the technical requirements for community-based micro-grid systems.

Project organizers in Japan are putting together proposals for submission to MOE during from May 16 to June 30, 2014, designing grid systems by selecting and making arrangements with a possible project sites.

CS Japan will provide project organizers with the latest technologies from interested U.S. firms by compiling a list of such technologies and passing it to the project organizers. U.S. companies that are interested in having their technologies listed are kindly requested to review the program outlined below and send the following information to Misa Shimizu at misa.shimizu@trade.gov:

1. Company name

2. Brief overview of the company’s technology and capabilities

3. Point of contact information for interested prime contractors

U.S. firms can be project organizers if they meet MOE’s RFP requirements: they must have a physical presence in Japan, qualified technical staff, and be able to make prior arrangements with project sites (municipality/development/facility/business grouping) to host the proposed micro-grid project. Interested firms should contact Misa Shimizu at the address above for more information.

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Outline: MOE Program on Building a Self-sufficient and Distributed Low Carbon Energy Society

Efficient use of renewable power and heat, lowering loss of power supply and usage; leading reduction of carbon emissions.

Enhancement of resilience by ensuring power supply during disasters with batteries and power interchange, etc.

Key Technology Elements: Power generation from renewable energies, storage with batteries, fuel cells, interchange of power and heat, and electric vehicles (storage and mobility), micro-grid control systems, non-micro-grid specific generators, and architect and engineering.